1. Field of the Invention
A single coin carriage bar for use with a coin controlled device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A great many newspaper racks, cigarette machines and the like have been developed to provide a means of vending such items without the necessity of an attendant.
Today, most such machines include mechanism for controlling the door only after the proper number of coins have been deposited in the machine. These machines may be mechanical, electro-mechanical or electrical.
Many of the more advanced mechanical dispensing devices comprise a coin operated dispensing mechanism in which the proper combination of coins must be deposited in a coin chute to prevent the upward movement of the coins in the chute to hereby operate a latch actuated by movement of the dispensing element which releases the latch. When an improper combination of coins is present, upward movement of the coins prevents the releasing of the latch. Unfortunately, in this type of a coin mechanism, inserted coins are stacked edgewise in one or more vertical coin chutes. Since the vertical length of the coin chutes are limited by allowable space, a vending machine equipped with this type of a coin mechanism will be limited to low selling prices.
An increasing number of coin controlled, electrically operated vending machines have been constructed to vend a plurality of different kinds or brands or merchandise such as cigarettes or the like for various prices.
Electrically operated vending machines do have some advantages over mechanical vending machines. For example, mechanical machines are suspectible to abuse due to jerking and slamming which causes undue strain, frequently resulting in mechanical failure.
Unfortunately, electrical vending machines generally comprise complicated electrical circuits and electrical parts making for increased liability to failure due to short circuits or other electrical faults. In addition, in many uses electrical power is not readily available for use with these vending machines.
Thus a need exists for a reliable mechanically operated coin controlled dispensing mechanism having the capability of registering relatively large amount of change to control the dispensing cycle in response thereto.
In order to accomplish operation of a mechanically operated coin controlled mechanism at its greatest efficiency, it is necessary to, in essence, to perfect all the various important structural features of such a mechanism. Well designed and constructed structural elements of such a mechanical dispensing mechanism can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,882,984 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,738,466 to Knickerbocker. Examination of this disclosed in claimed structure shows the inclusion of an actuator bar (in phantom) (FIG. 8) of U.S. Pat. No. 3,882,984 which serves to activate a coin control or totalizer or register mechanism upon the utilization of numerous coins passing through the mechanism. The actuator bar serves to actively engage the coins as they pass through predetermined path of travel and due to the placement of pins in the bar causes the bar to move due to the weight exerted thereon by the dropping or falling of the coins. In order to accomplish the intended results of the present invention and overcome various problems existing in the prior art, such structural features as the actuator bar could be constructed to provide a more efficient and economic mechanically operated coin controlled dispensing mechanism.